Health and Well-Being Centre opens its doors to new members

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Health and Well-Being Centre opens its doors to new members

There’s something to be said about a research facility that people enjoy visiting so much, they don’t want to leave when the studies are over.

It’s a trend Scott Stevens is finding at the Brock-Niagara Centre for Health and Well-Being.

Maybe it’s because there’s no poking and prodding involved with the studies happening here. Stevens, the centre’s co-ordinator, is chalking it up to endorphin rushes and healthier people who want to continue to feel good, even after the data has been collected.

The centre, which is equipped with treadmills, elliptical trainers, weight machines, and exercise bikes - all the trappings of an expensive gym - is typically used for research involving seniors’ health, directed by Prof. Kim Gammage, spinal cord injuries, directed by Prof. Dave Ditor, and by cardiac rehab patients, whose program is directed by Prof. Deborah O’Leary.

While the centre charges for participation in the cardiac rehab program, seniors can use the equipment for free for 12 weeks in exchange for keeping track of the exercises they do, the strength and endurance they build, and their blood pressure for research.

“They’d find they liked it so much they didn’t want to leave when the studies were done,” Stevens said.

So the centre is changing its tack. After participants are finished with studies, they have the chance to buy an annual membership for $400 (about $33 a month) to continue working out there.